


A Lot of Work

by thepatchmatrix



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Feel-good, Gen, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 11:02:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4346054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepatchmatrix/pseuds/thepatchmatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bucky left the tower that morning, he'd only been looking for some fresh air. What he found was much better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lot of Work

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a small idea about Bucky adopting a baby rabbit and kinda snowballed into this slightly monstrous thing. Please enjoy!

For the first time since he came in from the cold into the welcoming arms of Steve and his Avengers, Bucky Barnes had managed to get out of the tower undetected and walk the streets without any form of supervision. Steve and Sam had passed out on couches in the team’s shared living space after a long mission, Natasha was out of the country with Clint on a small surveillance mission, Thor had left for Asgard half an hour ago, and the Science Bros were buried in their respective labs. Bucky figured he’d have a little more than three hours before anyone noticed his absence.

A cool breeze funneled through the buildings as Bucky made his way further from the tower and the multitude of tourists and paparazzi that flocked it. Shops became smaller, the brand name stores quickly disappearing to leave behind small, family-owned businesses. The smell of fresh bread wafted from a small bakery, a bell tinged above the door of a butcher, a puppy barked from the front window of a pet store.

Bucky paused, head cocked to the side as he stared at the small dog in the window. There were no other dogs in the case with the small, mottled grey puppy with black ears. Instead, there were two grey rabbits. He stared at the unusual sight. The door to the store opened and a man in his early-twenties poked his head out. He looked remarkably like Sam Wilson, if only a bit younger with a larger nose and more rounded jaw. His jeans and tee were covered in various types of fur and it looked as though he’d unknowingly stepped in some form of excrement recently.

“Yeah, they’re a weird group. You want to meet them?”

Bucky found himself nodding and following the man inside. The man had the case open in moments and the excited puppy wriggling in his arms. The rabbits had crowded together at the opening and were scrutinizing the men.

“There was a weird filing error and somehow, this pup ended up in a crate with the rabbits. I was supposed to be getting kittens. These mix ups have been happening a lot recently, thus my store’s pretty empty at the moment.” the man, presumably the owner, chuckled and swept his arm around the shop, “Now the three are so bonded that I need a home that’s willing to take all three,” He thrust the pup into Bucky’s arms.

The small puppy immediately turned its head and began licking Bucky’s chin, trying to reach his entire face. Its tail was wagging a hard, staccato beat against his arm. Bucky’s eyes widened as he looked down at the puppy, a smile starting to curve his lips. He glanced back at the man then at the two rabbits. Bucky knew he was going back to the tower with three new family members in tow.

“How much work would they take?”

“A lot,” the man’s face fell, seemingly expecting a negative answer.

Bucky looked down at the bundle of joy in his arms. The puppy paused in its wriggling and stared at the ex-assassin, as though it understood the seriousness of the situation. The rabbits stopped their jostling for position at the opening of the display case and seemed to stare straight into Bucky. There was no fear in the eyes of the three animals, only a calm consideration.

“I’ll take them.”

The store owner’s face broke into a wide grin. He began quickly explaining the basic needs for the puppy in Bucky’s arms. The puppy, having been identified as male and a Blue Heeler, became even more excited, letting out small yips and whines as Bucky and the man moved through the store picking out a multitude of products from a small green collar to a large bottle of oatmeal shampoo. They moved around the store in a circle and a pile began to form on the counter. They ended back in front of the window case. The man gestured to the rabbits.

“Now, I’ve got a veterinarian friend who’s pretty sure they’re German Giants, both female. They’re gonna get pretty big as they grow. From what she told me, they peak around 23 pounds and are a bit bigger than your average toddler. They’re gonna need grooming and pretty varied diet. You still sure?”

Bucky set the puppy on the floor and nodded as he picked up a rabbit in each arm. The rabbits nuzzled into his chest. Bucky smiled widely and glance back at the man. They once again whirled around the store, grabbing items for the rabbits, the pile on the counter growing ever bigger. The puppy followed Bucky the entire time, his tail wagging so hard his back end was shaking side-to-side. When the last item, a litter box, landed on the counter both men turned and stared at the large amount of merchandise. Bucky set one of the rabbits into the man’s arms and, with some careful maneuvering, had the black credit card Tony had given him in hand. Swapping the card for his rabbit, Bucky grinned as the owner gasped so hard he choked while staring at the card.

“Holy shit! I never thought I’d ever see one of these. I’ve only been open a year man, this is awesome!”

He turned to begin ringing up the pile on the counter,”Oh, I don’t think I introduced myself, I’m Thomas, the owner.”

“I’m Bucky.”

Thomas continued to check out the items on the counter and give Bucky advice on picking a vet. He suggested one a few blocks south.

“The office is run by the vet I was telling you about earlier. I think I have her card around here somewhere,” he dug under the counter for a few moments and produced a slightly crumpled business card, “She’s worked with everything from house pets to wild cats. I can give her a call before you leave if you’d like, the pup’s due for shots soon and I can give her a bit of warning that you’ll be in?” Thomas paused for a moment, considering the large pile of stuff he still had to checkout and then looked back to Bucky, “Hell, I might as well give you a ride since you won’t be able to manage all this.”

“Um, sure,” Bucky agreed tentatively.

Finally, the merchandise was all checked out and paid for. Thomas made a quick call then grabbed a few of the bags and gestured for Bucky to follow him as he exited the store and walked up to a beat-up SUV. The animals were placed in a large crate Thomas already had in the back and the rest of Bucky’s purchases were swiftly packed in.

The trip over to the vet took no longer than 5 minutes, the men spending the time trying out names for the pets. Bucky had decided on the puppy’s name by the time Thomas had parked.

A small woman, clearly of Indian descent and in her mid-forties, met them at the rear of Thomas’s car. Her hair was pulled back into a functional braid and her nails were painted with a clear polish. She was dressed in blue scrubs and a stethoscope hung about her neck. A long scratch, presumably from a cat, ran from the back of her right hand around to the underside of her elbow and a matching mark adorned the left side of her jaw.

“Thomas, I see you finally talked someone into adopting these three,” her voice was deep and held a calming strength to it. She turned and examined Bucky, her eyes seeming to look into his soul. After a moment, she gave a nod and introduced herself.

“You must be Bucky. I’m Dr. Jain, but you can call me Shanti,” Her handshake was strong and short. She then moved to the crate started pulling out the pets.

“She must really like the look of you. It took me months of knowing her to get the first name treatment,” Thomas whispered in Bucky’s ear.

“That’s because you’re too presumptuous Thomas. And I wasn’t particularly happy that you let thousands of crickets loose in my office the first time we met young man. Now get over here, I need your hands”

Thomas blushed, shot the ex-soldier a sheepish smile, and moved to grab one of the rabbits. Bucky also moved forward and ended up with the wriggling puppy in his arms. The three trekked into Dr. Jain’s office and into an exam room.

The entire office was very clean, the walls painted with soft yellows and warm tans. A fish tank filled with various tropical fish bubble away in the front office. Various fliers were neatly stacked and pictures of clients and their owners lined the walls. Overall, the office gave off soothing warmth that Bucky liked immensely. Combined with Dr. Jain’s natural calm, Bucky could see why Thomas recommended it.

Dr. Jain’s voice broke through Bucky’s contemplation and admiration of the office, “Have you named them yet?”

“Jack for the puppy, I’m still deciding on the girl’s names.”

“You’ll want to decide by the time we’re done. That way we can get the licensing out of the way and files will be easier to make.”

Dr. Jain began examining the animals and walking Bucky through various health indicators and possible problems he could encounter. She finished with the rabbits and gave them some lettuce to munch while she worked on Jack.

“I’m always on call and I have a tech who can handle anything simple if I’m unavailable, that is if she shows up for work today.”

“Julie still skipping out?” Thomas rejoined the conversation from where he’d been leaning against the wall and reading a flier on a new form of heartworm medication.

“Yes, if she’s not here for her night shift then I have to let her go. I don’t know how that girl thinks she can just show up when it’s convenient and just blow off the rest of the time.”

“I’ve got a bit of medic training if you need any help while looking for a new tech. I mean, I wouldn’t be much help beyond stitches but…”Bucky trailed off as the two stared at him.

“That would be great!” Dr. Jain’s face brightened, the strict mask of professionalism she had kept up the entire examination melting away into a warm smile, “Of course, I’ll have to test your skills and teach you some stuff but I would love the help. Heck, if Julie doesn’t show, I’ll hire you if you have the time!”

Bucky blinked wide in surprise. He’d been searching for a hobby to take his mind off the Winter Soldier’s memories almost since he’d moved into the tower and Steve’s care. He’d thought taking care of his newly acquired family members would work but having a job? It sounded like the perfect way to reacquaint himself with normality and get his head out of the past.

“I—I would love to,” he stammered. Thomas jumped with excitement and Shanti grinned wide, “But you haven’t even seen me work with animals before. And you barely even know me!”

“Don’t worry, you’ll do fine!” Thomas assured Bucky, “Hell, you didn’t even hesitate in taking these babies when I told you about how much care they need. And Shanti likes you. That alone would be proof enough that we can trust you.”

Shanti choose that moment to pipe in, “More importantly, these guys like you,” she gestured to the animals, “I’ve never seen an animal trust the wrong person, they’re much better at reading people than humans.”

The rabbits stopped eating for a moment and stared at the humans before shaking their heads and going back to their lettuce. Jack let off an excited bark, bringing the humans attentions back to the puppy’s position on the examination table.

“Well, seems like this little guy’s ready to make the trip home. You come up with any names for the girls?” Thomas questioned.

Bucky picked up the smaller of the two rabbits. She had a stripe of slightly darker gray straight down her back. Of the two, she was a bit more jumpy and tended to lean into her sister or Jack, depending on who was close to her.

“I like Queenie for this darling.”

They nodded their approval and Shanti moved to add the name to the rabbits file. Bucky set the newly named Queenie in Thomas’s arms and picked up the other rabbit. She had small spots of blue-gray along her ears and her underside was slightly lighter than the rest of her fur. She held herself with a confident, quiet grace.

“This one’s definitely a Dame.”

Bucky cuddled Dame into his chest a bit and smiled at his two new friends. This definitely hadn’t been his plan when he walked out of the tower that morning. He’d only wanted a bit of fresh air and freedom from supervision for a few hours. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Bucky realized he’d been away from the tower for almost 5 hours. He really needed to get back soon before Steve began tearing apart Manhattan looking for him. With a quick, three-way exchange of phone numbers, Bucky promised to call Shanti the next morning and then he and Thomas were off.

Bucky gave Thomas directions to one of the back entrances to the tower’s garage. When they arrived, the guards at the security gate offered to help Bucky get his purchases up to his shared apartment. With another promise to Thomas to call, Bucky was left standing, rabbits in arms with Jack sitting at his feet as Thomas drove off. Bucky turned to the elevator, where two of the four guards were standing laden down with numerous bags. The three men, two rabbits, and one dog hopped into the elevator and took it straight to Bucky and Steve’s apartment.

After the security guards had left, Bucky carefully set down Queenie and Dame and began setting up his purchases. It wasn’t until he’d finished setting up the girl’s litterbox that Bucky realized that neither of his new friends had questioned or even seemed to notice his metal arm. The shock caused him to sit down hard on the floor. He’d finally found people who truly didn’t care about who he was beyond that he was a friend. Thinking harder, Bucky didn’t remember much beyond a slightly curious glance from Thomas as they pulled up to the tower. A smile graced Bucky’s face. He hadn’t been looking for a sense of acceptance that morning when he’d left, but he was glad he’d found it.

Suddenly, the apartment door flew open and Steve came running in. Sam, Tony, and Bruce followed him at a slightly less frantic pace. The men went straight to Bucky’s bedroom, not seeing the ex-assassin sitting on the floor on the opposite side of the couch from the bedrooms. He could hear curses flying from Steve’s mouth while the other men tried to calm him. Bucky covered his mouth as laughter tried to escape. He knew he should speak up and calm Steve down, but seeing his old friend so riled up was hilarious and brought up fond memories of the little punk from Brooklyn. Bucky could feel a sense of happiness settle over him and a grin soon grew on his face. The commotion of the men storming Bucky’s bedroom had startled the girls into Bucky’s arms and Jack trotted over to sit next to his owner. Opening his mouth to call out and calm the men down, Bucky was surprised when Jack let out a single loud bark. Instantly all sound from the bedroom stopped and four heads peeked out. Spotting Bucky on the floor and covered in pets, the men all adopted shocked faces.

Predictably, Tony was the first to react, his brain able to work through the shock faster than him compatriots. Of course, being Tony, his reaction was totally unexpected.

“Puppy!”

Tony’s face broke out into a big grin and excitement rolled off him as he shoved past the other men in the doorway. Tony jogged forward and stopped to kneel an arms-length away from Jack. He offered his hand to the puppy and waited for the dog to respond. Jack tentatively reached his nose forward. After a few small sniffs, he turned toward Bucky, looking for permission. Bucky nodded his assent and Tony found himself knocked on his ass, puppy licks covering his face.

Tony’s laughter finally pulled the other three men out of their shock. Bruce and Sam both cocked their eyebrows and shared an eye-roll before moving to sit on the couch. Steve had a much harder time coming to terms with what he was seeing. The friend he’d thought he’d lost was sitting in their living room having somehow acquired pets. And Tony was okay with the pets being in the tower. Steve felt the urge to pinch himself.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little fur, Stevie?”

The smirk on Bucky’s face and the devious glint in his eye had Steve chuckling warmly. He was still worried about where Bucky had been, but seeing more of the pre-Winter Soldier Bucky had Steve deciding to hold the lecture until later.

“Don’t think your cute quips will keep you from a lecture, Jerk,” Steve wagged his finger in Bucky’s direction as he moved to sit down next to the man and began to carefully pet one of the rabbits.

Bucky let out a full laugh, one Steve hadn’t heard since the Howling Commandos had pulled a rescue mission in full drag, heels and all. He knew that the bad days were far from over, but he had more hope that eventually Bucky would be back to so form of normal, even if he would never be the Bucky Steve remembered. Bucky’s amused response broke Steve from his thoughts.

“Didn’t think it would, Punk. Didn’t think it would.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me on [tumblr](http://thepatchmatrix.tumblr.com/)


End file.
